Best bets: Out of Space series, Bret Michaels, Laurie Berkner, Q101's PIQNIQ, Summer Jam and more
Out of Space
Evanston music venue SPACE rolls out its annual outdoor summer concert - Out of Space - this week with four nights of outdoor music at the Canal Shores Golf Course, 1030 Central St., Evanston. Dawes and Lucius kick things off Thursday with Celisse; Lord Huron headlines Friday with Allie Crow Buckley and Kara Jackson; Regina Spektor plays Saturday with Allison Russell and Elizabeth Moen; and Lake Forest native Andrew Bird headlines Sunday (with his new release “Outside Problems”) joined by Uwade and Nora O'Connor. Ticket prices vary by show, but they're generally $45-$160 at outofspaceconcerts.com. 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, July 27-30
Wheels on the Pier
More than 150 vintage and one-of-a-kind automobiles will be on display at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, as part of the Retro Rides exhibition. Tickets start at $15 for the family-friendly event. See navypier.org. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, July 28, through Sunday, July 30
Summer Jam
The Venue (21-23 S. Broadway Ave., Aurora) marks the 50th anniversary of the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, New York - a historic concert that featured the Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band and The Band - with a jam session of their own in the adjacent Mundy Park, furnished by Chicago-area jam aficionados Peach Jam and the Cream Puff Warriors. Tamales+, Burrito Xpress and La Michoacana Sweet Bliss food trucks will be on hand for dinner purchases, and local artisans Chris Hodge Art and Finnski Prints will be selling artwork and merch. Tickets are $30-$35 at themusicvenue.org. 7 p.m. (gates open at 6 p.m.) Friday, July 28
Bret Michaels party
Veteran rocker Bret Michaels heads to Tinley Park for an outdoor soiree when his “Parti Gras Tour 2023” stops at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 19100 Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park. Night Ranger, Jefferson Starship, Mark McGrath and Steve Augeri join the fun. Tickets are $20-$69.50 at bretmichaels.com. 7 p.m. Saturday, July 29
At the Art Institute
The Art Institute of Chicago's new exhibition showcases more than 60 paintings and drawings by Spanish-born, Mexico City-based artist Remedios Varo. “Remedios Varo: Science Fictions” reflects Varo's pairing of Surrealist techniques with imagery from astronomy, geographic exploration, magic, feminist critique and tarot. The museum is at 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. General admission $26 for teens and seniors; $32 for adults. See artic.edu. Saturday, July 29, through Nov. 27
Also at the Art Institute, “Ellsworth Kelly: Portrait Drawings” features 100 rarely seen drawings, including depictions of his friends by Kelly, a pioneering abstractionist who was among the most important postwar American artists. Through Oct. 23
Laurie Berkner's back
Best-selling children's recording artist Laurie Berkner brings her engaging musical show to Ravinia, 200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park, for two family-friendly performances full of witty songs, dances and audience interaction. Tickets are $15-$20 for lawn, $20 for pavilion seating at ravinia.org. 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, July 30
PIQNIQ
Q101 knows how to throw a party, and this year they've invited Incubus. The rock band behind the hits “Pardon Me,” “Drive” and “Wish You Were Here,” among others, headlines the station's annual salute to summer, PIQNIQ, this year at the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, 1300 S. Linn White Drive, Chicago. Beach Weather, Giovannie and The Hired Guns, Badflower and paris jackson are also on the guest list, joined by a performance from members of School of Rock Chicago. Tickets are $29.50-$79.50 at q101.com. 4 p.m. Sunday, July 30
Concert under the stars
In conjunction with “Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop/Works from the Bank of America Collection” exhibition at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, The New Philharmonic performs the Chicago premiere of “Passacaglia in Primary Colors” from “Fifteen: Symphonic Fantasy on the Art of Andy Warhol,” a 2022 work commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra that premiered in 2022. The concert will be held at the McAninch Arts Center's Lakeside Pavilion, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Free with a donation of a canned good to the College of DuPage Glen Ellyn Food Pantry. See warhol2023.org. 6 p.m. Sunday, July 30
The gangster of love
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Miller heads to the Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan, with hits “The Joker,” “Abracadabra,” “Fly Like an Eagle” and more for a late-week celebration of nearly six decades of beloved rock. $99-$179 at geneseetheatre.com. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3